Pressing device



July 21, 1925.

L. HOFFMAN PRESSING DEVICE Filed Dec. e, 1920 2 sheets-shea 1 00.0.0.0 0@ fina Patented July y21, 1925.

UNlTaDsTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS HOFFMAN, OF DULUTII, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 STEAM PRESSING IRON`COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

PRESSING- DEVICE.

Application led December 6, 1920. Serial No 428,772.-

To all whom it my comer/n.:

Be it known that I, Louis HOFFMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pressing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus, devices or appliances for pressing, shaping, blocking or smoothing cloth, garments or other fabrics or articles of apparel by means of the application thereto of heat, moisture and pressure; the invention being herein shown as embodied in a iat iron or tailors goose which is self heated and provided with means for ejecting moisture in the form of steam against the goods or garment to be pressed. It will be obvious, however, from the following description, that the principles of the invention are applicable to the construction of other pressing devices or appliances, such, for example, as the pressing members of garment pressing and shaping machines of various types.

In the drawin Fig. 1 is a siseelevation, with parts in section, of a tailors goose constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

i Fig. 3 is a plan view of the implement.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and

' Fig. 5`is afragmentary view,'in perspective, of the bottom or pressing section of the device.

Pressing irons or other pressing apparatus of the self heated moistening type as here.

tofore used, may be divided into two classes; those provided with burners or other heating elements which are supplied either with water that is generated into steam in the iron, or with steam which is superheated in passing therethrough, irons of this type being sometimes referred to as -superheat ing irons and those which have no burner or other heating element,'strictly speaking, but are heated by steam supplied to the iron in that forma part of which steam is diverted to the goods or garment through perforations inthe smoothing faceof the iron, irons of thistype being commonly called all steam irons. The advantage of the all steam irons over the su erheatingiron is that with any practicab e steam pressure the iron cannot be made hot enough to Scorch the goods even when it iscarelessly handled, whereas with a .superheating iron it is possible to raise the iron to such a temperature that contact of its' pressing `face or contact of the highly superheated steam ejected therefrom will injure the fabric being operated on. The all steam iron has serious disadvantages, however, namely: For some classesl of pressing the iron cannot be made hot, enough forv eilicient and rapid work; and it is necessary, in any event, to supply theA iron with steam at high pressure which involves more or less costly generating apparatus and piping and perhaps more serious difficulties in connection with the steam hoses which under high pressure and continual flexing due to the movements of the iron, give way verylquickl and are, therefore, the cause of expense and1 possible danger. v

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a pressing device, implement or appliance, specifically a tailors goose or at iron, which will combine the advantages of the all steam iron with those of the superheating iron while eliminating all of the detrimental features of each type. Other incidental objects will appear from the following .description of the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the bodyo'f the implement consists of a lower pressmg section- 10 and an upper heating or steam generating section 11 which are secured together by bolts 12. The iron is provlded with a suitable handle 13 and moisture supplied thereto, preferably in the form of water although steam might be used, through a flexible hose or pipe connection 14:. The upper or heating section of the 1ron 1s formed with a recess 15 for a burner or electricalv heating device. In the drawings I have shown the iron provided with an electrical heating element which is glven numeral 16 in the drawings. The moisture passageway through the heating section of the iron consists, preferably, of a pipe 17 in the form of two continuous coils 18 and 19, one within the other and both cast into the metal constituting the upper section of the iron. Preferably the pipe is Wbund upon a cylindrical shell ,20 and the metal of the body of the section poured around the structure thus formed while enclosed `in a suitable mold or chill. The water supply pipe 14-(the term water being used in the specification and claims in a broad sense as including also steam) is connected with a valve casing 21 on the iron. This casing communicates with one end of the pipe 17, namely, the end 22- which leads to the outer coil 19, and said casing contains a valve 23 which is adjustable to control the supply of water to the iron. Arranged at one side of valve casing 21 is a fitting 24 formed with a duct 25 with which communicates the other end of pipe 17, namely,'the end 26 leading from the inner' coil 18. The fitting is formed with another duct 27 communicating with a pipe 28 which is cast into the upper section of the iron and is designed to conduct steam to the lower or pressing section. 29 is a valve chamber in the fitting 24 and 30 a valve to control -port 27, said valve having a stem 32 extending through a bonnet 33 associated with fitting 24 and provided with a cap piece 34. The valve stem 32 is provided with an extension member 35 having a bearing in a lug 36 formed on one of the handle brackets 37. 38 is a lever fixed to the end of the valve stem eig tension 35 and provided with a thumb piece 39. Mounted on fitting 24 is a relief valve consisting of a casing member 40 having a seat 41 for a ball valve member 42, a lbonnet 43 threaded on the casing member and provided with anoutlet port 44 and a plunger 45 adapted to be pressed against the/'ball member 42 by a coiled spring 46. The lower section 10 of the iron issuitably channeled Vor recessed so that it may be heated bv steam generated inthe double coil 18, 19. Preferably the lower section is formed with a longitudinal channel 47 and with transverse channels 48 comunicating therewith.

. A 'distributing pipe 49 is arranged in the longitudinal channel and is connected with the pipe section 28 above mentioned. The distributing pipe is formed with perforations 50 in the sides thereof and perforations 51 are drilled through the pressing face 52 of the iron at 'thecross channels. The lower or pressing section 10 vof the iron is insulated from the upper section 11 in which the heating element is located so as to prevent heat transference from the latter section to the former. The pressing 'section is not intended to be heated, to any extent, by the burner. It receives its heat from the steam generated or superheated in the upper section. The lower or pressing section might be simply spaced away from the upper section so as to check the hea-t transference by conduction but preferably I accomplish the insulation by interposing a sheet of heat insulating material 53 such as' asbestos or other suitable material.

The body of the implement may be -made of any suitable metal or metals. Preferably the upper and lower sections are made of aluminum (the lower section 10 may be made of cast iron when subject to wear) and the coils 17 and shell 2O are preferably made of copper. The use of copper and laluminum I in this connection is important, particularly Vwhen the iron is to be supplied with water erating portion heated by the heatingr element 16 and a pressing portion which is heated by the steam generated in the steam generating portion. The water is supplied through pipe 14 and flows into inlet pipe 22 in quantities regulated by the adjustment of valve 23. The water passes rst through the outer steam generatin coil 19 and then through the inner super eating coil 18 which is in closer contactwith heating element 16. The double coil is a preferred but not essential feature of the invention. A single coil might be used, especially in an iron of considera-ble length. When the pressure in the coils reaches that for which the relief valve is set, ball valve 42 will be raised from its seat and steam will escape through port '44 to the atmosphere. As soon as the pressure is relieved additional water will liow into the coil, the inflow of water depending upon disturbance of the balance between steam pressure in the coil and the pressure of the water in pipe- 14. By opening valve 30 steam will flow from duct 25 through chamber 29 and duct 27 into the distributing pipe49 and from there intochannels 47, 48. This divergence of the steam heats the pressing section of the iron and the steam issuing from perforations 51, moistens the work. The steam entering the pressing section being taken from the return end of the inner coil -is in highly superheated condition so that after the pressing section has been once heated up the steam ejected against the work will be sufficiently hot and dry for the purpose required. The relief valve, by limiting the, pressure in the generating and superheating coils, and consequently 1ts temperature, automatically prevents the ejection of steam against the work at too high a temperature. The insulation of the pressing section from the steam generating section whereby v the pressing section is steam heated only .and not to any appreciable extent affected by the temperature of the steam generating section, allows the latter to be as highly heated as may be necessary in order to generate water into steam and raise the temperature of the steam to the required point. Thus apressing implement constructed in accordance with my invention combines all of the advantages of the superheating type of flat iron with-:those of the all steam iron while avoiding the disadvantages of each of said types.

It will be understood from the foregoing that instead of supplying the iron with water it may be supplied with steam, in which the case the steam will be superheated in the double coil 18, 19.

I claim: v

1. A pressing device comprising two sections: one a pressing section having a sur-I face for contact with the work recessed for circulation-of steam therethrough and perforated for ejection of steam against 'the work, the uother a heating section provided with a heating element and formed with a fluid passageway having a supply duct for connection with a source of supply of water and communicating with Ithe interior of the pressing section, said sections being insulated one from the other so as to check direct heat transference from the heating element to the pressing section, and means for controlling the flow of steam from the heating section to the pressing section;

2. A pressing device comprising two sec- .`tions: one a pressing section lfavlng-a surface for contact wlthithework and recessedY for circulation of steam therethrough the other a heating section provided with aheating element and formed with aI fluid passageway communicating with the interior of the pressing section, said sections being in close proxmity and spaced :by insulating material so as to check direct heat transference from the heating element to the pressing section, means for controlling the pressure and temperature of the heating fluid within the device including a relief valve adapted to open to permit outflow of steam from the heating section when the pressure communicating with the interior of the pressing section, insulating material between said sections for checking direct heat transference from4 the heating device to the pressing section, and means for automatmally 'limiting the steam pressure in the heating section.

5; A pressing device comprising two sections: a pressing section recessed for circulation of steam. and formed with perforations in the face thereof which is in contact with the work f or ejection of steam, and a heating section provided with a heating device and formed with a fluid passageway having a supply duct for connection with .a source of supply of water and communicating, with-the interior of the pressing section,Y sa1d sections 'being insulated one from the other so as to check direct heat transference from the heating element to the. preing section, and a relief valve which is adapted "to open to permit outflow from the heating section when pressure thereingexceeds a determinate maximum'and to close at lowerl pressures. v

6. In combination with a pressin device having a pressing face vperforated or eleotion of steam against the work and a'heatlng element, means constituting a steam generating and superheating du'ct consisting of two concentric pi e coils one within the other and connec at one end to provide a continuous passage and bothsurrounding s a1d heating. device, a. water supply duct connected with the outer coil and a duct leadin from the inner coil to said pressing face.

g., In a pressing device having a presslng face perforated for e'ection of steam against the worka heating e ement, and two concen- .tric helical coils, one a continuation of the other, surrounding'the heating element, one being a steam generating coil and the other a super-heating coil positioned between the generating coil and the heatingelement, and means whereby steam from the super-heating coil is directed to said perforated pressing face.

8. A tailors goose having a body port1on formed with a recess, in combination with a heating element in saidrecess, a steam nlerating and superheating coil embedd in said body and surrounding said heating element, and a base portion insulated from the body and formed with a steam passageway communicating with said coil and with per-I foralions for ejection of steam 4against the 5 wor V9. A tailors goose provided with a\base portion adapted to be heated'by steam and with steam generating means for supplying steam to the base, the, base being perforated for ejection of steam against thework, and 10 heat insulatin material between said base` portion and 'sald steam generating means.

LOUIS HOFFMAN. 

